Traditional computer data centers use large mainframe systems to handle large scale computing needs. A large mainframe system typically resides at a single location and has a separate operator console for the system. More recently, computer data centers have moved from a large mainframe system to an interconnected system of individual devices that typically resides throughout a network. Each individual device generally has a console. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) was developed to manage the data that was generated from the individual devices. SNMP, however, is not scalable.
A baseboard management controller (BMC) was developed to resolve the scalability problem. The BMC is essentially a mini computer within a computer. The BMC is generally an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) device with its own baseboard processor, memory, operating system, and software or firmware. If a motherboard is attached to a power supply, the BMC is powered on, but the rest of the motherboard's components, including the processing unit, memory, and peripheral devices, need not be powered on.